Nodoka: Princess of the Wolves
by Mercenary Girl
Summary: Nodoka, a wolf youkai, has a dark, dreary past, which she keeps a secret. Whatever had happened drives her to join up with the famed shard-hunters. Find out her many secrets, and read about how she finds a secret about herself that she never knew before.


Nodoka: Princess of the Wolves  
  
By: Mercenary Girl  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Ya got that?  
  
I know, I know, kinda sappy, slightly over-dramatic, and a whole bunch of other things, deal with it! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~  
  
I watched from my perch on a tree a quarter of a mile downwind from where the famed shard-hunters rested. I could easily see them, thanks to my yellow, wolven eyes, and when they woke up, I knew that I would clearly be able to hear every word they spoke, thanks to my keen, wolven ears.  
  
The wind blew a few strands of my layered, chestnut-brown hair into my face and I realized that the wind direction had changed. Quickly and quietly, I got down and went to a tree that was now downwind from where the shard- hunters slept; I couldn't risk their hanyou knowing I was there until I was ready.  
  
As I sat in among the tree branches, concealed by its leaves, I pondered how to approach them with the question. How awkward would it be to just walk up to them and abruptly ask them, "May I join your shard-hunting group?" Besides, I hadn't asked for anything since before "it" happened.  
  
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the diamond at the bottom of the hilt of my sword had turned sapphire-blue. I sighed and concentrated back on the task at hand. "I would have to bring up the subject after they get to know me, and trust me...but how?" I mused. "Trust is a very fragile thing...I thought I could trust my grandfather, but that was before..."  
  
A beam of light was getting into my eyes, interrupting my train of thought, and I shifted my position. Quickly realizing that the sun was slowly rising, I dismissed my thoughts of what had happened long ago. I licked my index finger to see if I was still downwind, which I was, and continued to contemplate about what to do.  
  
"The easiest way to get them to trust me would be for me to save all of their weak asses, but who knows how long it would take before something life threatening and out of their control would happen? However, they were shard hunters; danger came to find them every day of the week...but somehow, they had been able to master every obstacle." I sighed again. "The only way I can get this to work is to set up and obstruction for them."  
  
I looked around, nothing very dangerous in a simple clearing in the middle of a forest. I listened, moving my head from side to side, listening for any trace of a youkai. None. I looked back at the circle of friends and decided that they wouldn't be waking up for at least another half-hour.  
  
I got down from the tree and explored the boundaries of the forest. Further south, but within the forest, was a somewhat calm river. Following along the river's edge, I found that it led to a waterfall with plenty of sharp rocks at the bottom. "How convenient," I thought as I walked back towards the shard-hunters' camp. I checked the direction of the wind again and climbed up another tree that would conceal me from their view if they woke up. In my mind, a simple plan was forming.  
  
There was still a problem however: how to get them to where my trap was set. My eyes focused on their neko and the remainder of my plan took shape.  
  
I went back to the river and waved my right hand, shooting a tiny minnow out of the waterway and onto the riverbank. When it had suffocated, I waved my hand again and shot it up to my left hand. Going back to the camp, I moved several pebbles into my palm in the same manner, and when I approached the half-mile mark, I checked the wind direction again and climbed up yet another tree. Holding the pebbles and the fish in my left hand, I moved the rocks one-by-one to where the neko slept and dropped them near her.  
  
By the seventh pebble, she was awake. I waved my right hand again and made the fish hover above her mouth. She jumped at it, but I moved my hand away, and the minnow, being at under my control, moved away from her and the camp, and towards the stream. The neko followed, hungrily, as I had hoped, but then again, I didn't doubt she was going to; it was too early for her to think rationally and she was probably very hungry as most are when the awake.  
  
"Meow!" The little neko chased after the minnow, waking up the youkai exterminator in the process.  
  
"Kirara?" the youkai exterminator whispered sleepily as she rubbed her eyes.  
  
"What's wrong, Sango?" asked the human girl asked as she, too, woke up.  
  
"Kirara ran off," Sango replied, standing up.  
  
"Pipe down!" the hanyou snapped.  
  
"Shut up, Inuyasha!" the human girl said as she also got to her feet. Sango started running after Kirara, and the other girl ran with her.  
  
I watched from my perch half a mile away from both the river and the shard- hunter's camp, controlling the fish with my right hand, and as I waved my left hand, I froze the male-half of their group. I began to sweat; using my psychic powers always used up a lot of my energy, but I moved the fish further along the river, and then over the waterfall, from then on, I let go of my control over the minnow. When Kirara followed it over, I waved my left hand again and froze the entire scene, from the two girls chasing their neko, to the falls itself.  
  
I climbed down from the tree and made my way over to the waterfall, taking my time. When I reached it, I waved my left hand unfreezing everything I had frozen. Now came the hard part. Carefully calculating the timing, I leapt towards the falls, catching Kirara in midair, and safely landed on one of the sharp rocks below.  
  
I could hear the girls standing above us, peering over the edge, yelling, "Kirara? Are you alright?" with fear evident in their voices.  
  
"She's alright!" I called back up to them in my usual, slightly annoyed tone, which matched my expression.  
  
"Thank goodness!" I heard Sango yell back to me. When I had gotten to the riverbank, I jumped up from ledge to ledge and made my way up the side of the waterfall. "Thank you so much!" Sango exclaimed as I reached the top. I handed over her little, I guess pet, not saying anything.  
  
"We were so worried!" the human girl said. "Hi! I'm Kagome!" She held out her hand, but I didn't take it.  
  
"Nodoka," I replied, my tone and expression not changing.  
  
"I'm Sango. Pleased to meet you," the demon exterminator told me.  
  
"As am I," I answered, dryly, sensing that they still didn't trust me, but I hadn't expected them to, this fast anyway.  
  
"Why didn't you transform? Then Nodoka wouldn't have had to risk her life to save you," Sango teased Kirara before she hugged her.  
  
That really, REALLY vexed me.  
  
"Well, we should be getting back to the camp. You wanna come meet our friends, Nodoka?" Kagome asked me.  
  
I gave a short nod and followed them back. Inuyasha, the monk, and the kitsune were already awake by the time we reached the camp.  
  
Inuyasha, noticing us first, turned, asking, "Where were you guys?"  
  
"Kirara must have been sleepwalking or something, but somehow she managed to go over the waterfall, but luckily, Nodoka over here," Kagome motioned me as the monk stood up and walked toward us, "was there to save her."  
  
"Wow!" the kitsune exclaimed in a cheerful voice as he ran over to me, jumping onto the monk's shoulder so that he would be somewhat level to me. "I'm Shippou. Hi! Thank you for saving Kirara."  
  
"Hello," I muttered, turning my head; I couldn't stand all of their exuberance. I felt somebody take my hand, and I quickly snapped my head back forward. It had been the monk.  
  
"Will you bear my child?" the monk asked me.  
  
I looked at him with my fully annoyed expression and slapped him, holding back most of my strength. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kagome, Kirara, Inuyasha, and Shippou sweatdrop, and Sango even more annoyed than I was.  
  
Sango slapped him on the other cheek, as hard as I did apparently because both of his cheeks were the same shade. "Don't be rude, Miroku!" she yelled at him.  
  
"Don't mind Miroku. He says that to every girl he meets," Kagome told me.  
  
"Every girl except one," I heard Sango mutter, but I doubted anybody else did.  
  
"You should stay for breakfast!" Shippou exclaimed.  
  
"Yes, you should, as a thank you for saving Kirara and an apology for you having to meet Miroku," Sango added.  
  
"Why? Her pack probably misses her," Inuyasha sneered.  
  
"Sit boy!" Kagome yelled. Immediately, the necklace around Inuyasha's neck glowed and he crashed onto the ground. As I tried to figure out what had just happened, Kagome said to me, "Sorry about him. He has a bad experience with wolf demons." She sweatdropped. "So, will you stay for breakfast?"  
  
I quickly thought of a somewhat polite response, even though my expression and tone didn't change. "Yes I will," I replied, giving her a quick and awkward bow. "Thank you," I added, although those words sounded hollow and insincere, so I faked a smile.  
  
"I'll go collect firewood, we must be running out," Sango said.  
  
"I'll help," I told them.  
  
"You can't help, Nodoka. You're the guest!" Kagome exclaimed.  
  
"I insist," I said firmly, following Sango into the woods. I wanted to get away from Inuyasha for the time being. Although he in no way resembled Sesshoumaru, I was still reminded of him every time I looked at the hanyou.  
  
"So...does your pack live around here?" Sango asked as she picked up a few dried logs lying on the ground.  
  
"They used to inhabit the lands past the mountains, which are south of this forest," I replied, also picking up dried up pieces of wood.  
  
"'Used to'?" Sango inquired. "What happened?"  
  
"My pack...they're all dead," I said easily as if I had just said something more cheerful.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry..." Sango's voice trailed off. At least she had a good sense of tact. I think she's going to be the one I can trust most of the shard- hunters. There was and awkward silence for a few minutes before she asked, "Was it Naraku?"  
  
"Indeed. How did you know?" I asked, tone not changing from its usual as we walked back to the camp.  
  
"Let's just say that he's the reason I don't have a family, and why the first person Inuyasha fell in love with, Kikyo, is dead and why Miroku's got a hole in his hand," she answered.  
  
"A hole?" I asked with a slight interest factor creeping into my voice.  
  
"Long story," Sango replied.  
  
"I see."  
  
Sango's face brightened up as a thought must have struck her. "You should join our group. I'd really like for you to come with us."  
  
I replied without any annoyance, or awkwardness, and I smiled a slight, but natural smile, not one I had faked, like I did earlier, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the diamond on my sword gleam electric-yellow. "I'd love to."  
  
To be continued...  
  
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Chapter 2 coming soon! Please select "Submit Review" and press the button that says "Go". Tell me what you think. ^ ^ 


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